Norodom Sihanouk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Norodom Sihanouk (Khmer: . Affectionately known to the Cambodian people as Samdech Euv (Khmer: . After the Second World War, he campaigned for Cambodia's independence from French rule, which took place in 1. In 1. 95. 5, Sihanouk abdicated the throne in favour of his father Norodom Suramarit, and went on to form the political organisation Sangkum. Sihanouk led the Sangkum to victory in the 1. Prime Minister of Cambodia. ![]() After his father's death in 1. Sihanouk introduced a constitutional amendment which made him the Head of State of Cambodia, a position which he held until 1. Between 1. 95. 5 and 1. Sihanouk governed Cambodia under one- party rule, and cracked down on political dissent from the Democrat party and Pracheachon. While he was officially neutral in foreign relations, in practice he was friendlier toward communist countries, particularly China, than to the United States and its anti- Communist allies. In March 1. 97. 0 Sihanouk was overthrown by Lon Nol and Sisowath Sirik Matak, paving the way for the formation of Khmer Republic. He fled to China and North Korea and went on to form a government- in- exile and resistance movement known as the Royal Government of the National Union of Kampuchea (GRUNK) and National United Front of Kampuchea, respectively. As GRUNK's leader, Sihanouk lent support to the Khmer Rouge, which fought against the Khmer Republic in the Cambodian Civil War. After the Khmer Rouge won, a new government, Democratic Kampuchea, was formed. Subsequently, Sihanouk returned to Cambodia and became its figurehead head of state. In 1. 97. 6 Sihanouk resigned from his position, leading to his house arrest. He was incarcerated until 1. Vietnamese forces overthrew the Khmer Rouge.
Sihanouk went into exile again, and in 1. FUNCINPEC, a resistance party. The following year, Sihanouk was appointed as the President of the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK), consisting of the three anti- Vietnamese resistance factions . As this coalition retained Cambodia's seat at the United Nations, this made him Cambodia's internationally recognized head of state. In the late 1. 98. People's Republic of Kampuchea (PRK) and resistance factions under the CGDK. In 1. 99. 0 the Supreme National Council of Cambodia (SNC) was formed as a transitional body to oversee Cambodia's sovereign matters, with Sihanouk as its president. In 1. 99. 1 peace accords were signed, and the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) was established the following year. The UNTAC organised general elections in 1. Norodom Ranariddh and Hun Sen, was subsequently formed. In June 1. 99. 3 Sihanouk was reinstated as Cambodia's Head of State, and in September 1. In 2. 00. 4 Sihanouk abdicated again in favour of another son, Norodom Sihamoni, who succeeded him as king. He was known as the King father until his death in 2. ![]() ![]() The Nine Lives of Norodom Sihanouk (2009). When appointed King of Cambodia by the French in 1941. Norodom Sihanouk (regular script; 31. ![]() Sihanouk pursued an artistic career during his lifetime, and wrote several musical compositions. He produced 5. 0 films between 1. Early life and first reign. When Pat died, Kossamak brought Sihanouk to live with his paternal grandfather, Norodom Sutharot. Sutharot delegated parenting responsibilities to his daughter, Norodom Ket Kanyamom. Under pressure from the Japanese, Sihanouk proclaimed Cambodia's independence. A Modus Vivendi was signed in January 1. Cambodia was granted full autonomy within the French Union. He was made a reserve captain for the French army. The Modus Vivendi was replaced by a new Franco- Khmer treaty, which recognised Cambodia as . While Cambodia was given free rein in managing its foreign ministry and to a lesser extent, its defence, most of the other ministries remained under French control. The dissenting legislators, led by Yem Sambaur, who had defected from the Democrat party in November 1. ![]() A few days later, Sihanouk privately confided in exasperation to the US charg. Once there, Sihanouk wrote to French president Vincent Auriol requesting that he grant Cambodia full independence, citing widespread anti- French sentiment among the Cambodian populace. Subsequently, Sihanouk traveled to Canada and the United States, where he gave radio interviews to present his case. He took advantage of the prevailing anti- communist sentiment in those countries, arguing that Cambodia faced a Communist threat similar to that of the Viet Minh in Vietnam, and that the solution was to grant full independence to Cambodia. At the end of the month, Sihanouk went to Phnom Penh. At the same time, Sihanouk's relations with the governing Democrat party remained strained, as they were wary of his growing influence in politics. According to Osborne, Sihanouk's abdication earned him the freedom to pursue politics while continuing to enjoy the deference that he had received from his subjects when he was king. While the Sangkum was, in effect, a political party, Sihanouk argued that the Sangkum should be seen as a political . He appointed as director of national security Dap Chhuon. They took up all seats in the National Assembly, replacing the Democrats, which had until then been the majority party. In March 1. 95. 6 he embarked on a national programme of . They signed a friendship treaty, in which China promised US$4. Cambodia. South Vietnam briefly imposed a trade embargo on Cambodia, preventing trading ships from travelling up the Mekong river to reach Phnom Penh, via Saigon. Five of them attended. At the debate, held at the royal palace, Sihanouk spoke in a belligerent tone, challenging the Democrat leaders to present evidence of malfeasance in his government and inviting them to join the Sangkum. The Democrat leaders gave hesitant responses, and according to American historian David P. Chandler, it gave the audience the impression that they were disloyal to the monarchy. He drafted left- wing politicians, including Hou Yuon, Hu Nim, and Chau Seng, to stand as Sangkum candidates, with a view to winning left- wing support from the Pracheachon. However, four of them withdrew, as they were prevented by the national police from holding any election rallies. When voting took place, the Sangkum won all seats in the national assembly. Norodom Vakrivan, the chief of protocol, was killed instantly when he opened the package. Sihanouk's parents, Suramarit and Kossamak, who were sitting in another room not far from Vakrivan, narrowly escaping unscathed. An investigation traced the origin of the parcel bomb to an American military base in Saigon. A referendum held on 5 June 1. Sihanouk's proposals, and Sihanouk was formally appointed Head of State on 1. June 1. 96. 0. At the same time, he continued to play an active role in politics as Sangkum's leader. Kennedy in New York City on 2. September 1. 96. 1In 1. Pracheachon's spokesperson, Non Suon, criticized Sihanouk for failing to tackle inflation, unemployment, and corruption in the country. Non Suon's criticisms gave Sihanouk the impetus to arrest Pracheachon leaders, and according to him, he had discovered plans by their party to monitor local political developments on behalf of foreign powers. He threatened to reject all economic aid from the US if they failed to respond to his demands. Kennedy died in November and December 1. Sihanouk rejoiced over their deaths, as he accused them of attempting to destabilise Cambodia. He organised concerts and granted civil servants extra leave time to celebrate the occasion. When the US government protested Sihanouk's celebrations, he responded by recalling the Cambodian ambassador to the US, Nong Kimny. In turn, the Cambodian army would be paid for delivering food supplies to the Viet Cong, and at the same time skim off 1. The trail later became known as the Sihanouk Trail. In turn, they nominated Lon Nol, a military general who shared their political sympathies, as prime minister. However, their choice did not sit well with Sihanouk. When the Chinese government protested. He learned that Kennedy's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, had expressed a desire to see Angkor Wat. Seeing this as an opportunity to restore relations with the US, Sihanouk invited her to visit Cambodia and personally hosted her visit in October 1. To Bowles, Sihanouk expressed his willingness to restore bilateral relations with the US, hinted at the presence of Viet Cong troops in Cambodia, and suggested he would turn a blind eye should US forces enter Cambodia to attack the Viet Cong. The bombing forced the Viet Cong to flee from their jungle sanctuaries and seek refuge in populated towns and villages. In June 1. 96. 9 he extended diplomatic recognition to the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRGSV). At the same time, he also openly admitted the presence of Viet Cong troops in Cambodia for the first time. Two months later, Lon Nol left Cambodia to seek medical treatment, leaving Sirik Matak to run the government. Between October and December 1. Sirik Matak instituted several policy changes that ran contrary to Sihanouk's wishes, such as allowing private banks to re- open in the country and devaluing the riel. He also encouraged ambassadors to write to Lon Nol directly, instead of going through Sihanouk, angering the latter. The protests turned chaotic, as protesters looted both embassies and set them on fire, alarming Sihanouk. He opted for the latter, thinking that he could persuade its leaders to recall Viet Cong troops to their jungle sanctuaries, where they had originally established themselves between 1. On 1. 8 March 1. 97. National Assembly voted to depose Sihanouk. Zhou arranged for the North Vietnamese Prime Minister, Pham Van Dong to fly to Beijing from Hanoi and meet with Sihanouk. On 2. 3 March 1. 97. Sihanouk announced the formation of his resistance movement, the National United Front of Kampuchea (FUNK). He encouraged the Cambodian populace to join him and fight against Lon Nol's government.
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